160 II. CORINTHIANS 6, 6. 7.

his knowledge of the mystery of Christ, as patent to all his readers. And in Gal. 1, 12, et seq., he appeals to his possession of this knowledge, without any human teaching, as an unde- niable proof of his divine mission. J^i/ lo7ig-siiffering, i. e. patiently submitting to injustice and undeserved injuries. Hy kindness, i. e. -xprja-TOTrjs (from xp-qa-ros, useful) benevolence ; a disposition to do good ; as God is said to be kind to the un- thankful and the evil, Luke 6, 35. £i/ the Holy Ghost; that is, by the manifestation of the Holy Ghost as dwelling in me. It is the doctrine of the Scriptures, and specially of Paul's writings, that the Spirit of God dwells in all believers, and that besides those manifestations of his presence common to all, there is given to each one his special gift, w^hether or- dinary or extraordinary ; to one wisdom, to another knowl- edge, to another the gift of teaching, to another the working of miracles, &g. 1 Cor. 12, 7-11. In proof of his being a true minister of God, Paul appeals to the evidence of the presence of the Spirit in him, which evidence was to be found in those graces and gifts of the Holy Ghost with w^hich he was replen- ished ; and in the divine power which attended and rendered successful his preaching. He could appeal to his converts and say, *' Ye are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord," 1 Cor. 9, 2. J^y love unfeigned. As in the preceding clause he re- ferred to kindness or benevolence, here love must be taken in the restricted sense of Christian love — not that affection which is exercised towards the just and the unjust, but that which springs from the peculiar relations of the believer to God and to bis brethren. It is brotherly love, or the love of the breth- ren as such. Hy the icord of truth, that is, by the preaching of the truth, or preaching the contents of which is truth. The reference is not to veracity, but to the exhibition of the truth in his jDreaching. In a previous chapter, 4, 2, he had said, "By the manifestation of the truth I commend myself to every man's conscience in the sight of God." By the poioer of God. The power of God w^as manifested in various ways in Paul's ministry. " He that wrought in Peter," he says, " to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me towards the Gentiles," Gal. 2, 8. By these various mani- festations of divine power in his conversion, in his preparation for liis work, and in the exercise of his apostleshi}), he was proved to be a true servant of God. By the armour oj righteousness. The word " righteousness " is used in Scrip- ture in two senses. It means either rectitude, uprightness,